Geekout 30: Android 4.4, Nexus 5, and Battlefield 4

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Google dropped a bombshell on everyone by releasing Android 4.4 and the new Nexus 5 smartphone without even so much as a press conference. Join us as we break down what we know so far, alongside some fun with Battlefield 4.

While many game developers are busy preparing their next-gen launch day games for the Xbox One and the PS4, a lot of other developers decided there was still plenty of people playing current consoles and PCs. Battlefield 4 is here, with a ton of new and exciting features and gameplay options. We spent a few minutes with the campaign mode recently, and found it a lot of fun despite the not-so-subtle lack of realism in how well you absorb bullets as the main character.

Google’s Nexus 5 is here at last, and while we haven’t been able to get our hands on one yet, everything we know about the phone so far leads us to believe this will be one of the most impressive devices on the market today. The phone clocks in at a beastly 2.2GHz with a Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM, but more importantly comes with envelope tracking hardware and battery sipping software that is supposed to give this new phone terrific battery life. We’ll believe it when we see it, which shouldn’t be too long from now.

Android 4.4 is powering this impressive new phone, and what looks like an incremental version update from 4.3 is actually an impressive list of under-the-hood improvements. This feature list includes memory performance, new subtle changes to the front-facing UI, and tons of new APIs for developers to take advantage of. There’s a new cloud printing service system-wide, and a new storage access system that will allow greater sharing across services as well. We’ll be doing a thorough breakdown of what you can expect from Android 4.4 soon.

Our app of the week comes just in time to enjoy some Halloween frights. Zombie Highway is a fun racer style game where you’ve gotta hit those crazy walkers before they climb all over your vehicle and flip it over in a mad attempt to get at some tasty, tasty brains. It’s free on Android, so be sure to check it out!

If you’ve got a topic you’d like us to talk about on our Geekout, or questions for us during a live broadcast, leave us a message here or on the Google+ page.